SANTA BARBARA A minor who had fallen and was hanging on the side of a cliff in the Douglas Preserve area was rescued by Santa Barbara City Fire Department early Thursday evening.
At 6:30 p.m. City Fire received a report of possibly two individuals on the side of the cliff below the Douglas Preserve.
Upon arriving, City Fire located a single female hanging approximately 100 to 150 feet above the beach.
“She was in a pretty dangerous position to try to have her walk out of or be able to get out of the side of the cliff so we put rescue personnel down the cliff to put her in a harness and remove her from the cliff,” said Battalion Chief Mike De Ponce.
City Fire dispatched three fire engines to the scene. Two AMR paramedic units and Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue also responded.
The rescue took 20 minutes.
The female’s injuries appeared to be minor, said Chief De Ponce, but she was placed on a backboard and an AMR ambulance transported her to Cottage Hospital for further evaluation.
“In the area that she was located there is a pretty rugged trail that goes down to a plateau in the cliff that appears people hike down to and sit on,” said Chief De Ponce.
“It should probably have a closed sign up top so people don’t think it’s a hikeable trail.”
